Saturday, September 18, 2004
Family galore!
The Owens
We headed out to Heathrow last Saturday to meet Joy, Rose and Simon (Joseph's Mum and sis and bro). It's a bit cheesy waiting at the arrivals gate watching all the happy reunions. We felt like we where in the movie 'Love Actually'. Have I turned into a cynic in my old age? Or was it just that we got a bit fatigued conscientiously scanning the crowds of people flowing out from the gate. Whilst waiting I spotted Stephen Fry, presumably also waiting to greet a love one. He is very tall in real life, which is a bit of a switch as celebrities are usually shorter than you expect when you see them in the flesh.
Our patience was rewarded when we spotted Joy, Rose and the considerably taller than I last saw him, Simon (o: We tubed it home and let the weary travellers relax. They had come from LA where they made the necessary pilgrimage to Disneyland and Universal Studios.
Tourist outings
The next day we ventured into town to check out the National Gallery. I particularly enjoyed the East Wing which displays paintings from the 1700 to 1900. Normally I enjoy the Monets and Renoirs the best but on this visit I really enjoyed the Degas paintings especially a striking image of a women getting her hair brushed which was painted in different shades of red. Of course Degas' famous paintings of ballerinas where very good too. The building itself is a work of art. The elaborate ceilings, in some areas, looked like they had been freshly painted with bright golds and other regency colours.
Outside in Trafalgar Square a huge stage and screen had been erected and an orchestra was warming up for an outdoor performance later in the evening. It was a performance of a score written by the Pet Shop Boys to accompany a famous silent movie with a Russian theme. The original score was by Shostakovich. The rehearsal sounded amazing.
We didn't stick around as we had a prior date with Paulette and Reinhold in Hampstead. Their daughter Ellie stayed with Joy and co in Orewa for 6 months and really enjoyed her time there. They treated us with some yummy Riesling from Luxembourg (probably not available in the UK) and some traditional sausage pastries. After a good chat we went into the village to an oriental fusion restaurant called Dim T. Talk about huge portions. I had wide noodles, wok fried with Thai topping/seasoning and tofu. Yum!
Joseph and I had to work the next week so we left the others to their own devices. They visited Greenwich, Buckingham Palace and the Tate Modern...and enjoyed some nice sleep ins. Paul (Joseph's step dad) arrived on Wednesday. That night we went out for a curry. The next day Paul, Joy et al, including Joseph, headed off in the car to Essex and Norwich.
Steve's birthday
Thursday was Steve's birthday. Rae had organised a surprise meal for him with friends at The Black Lion. Pam and Brian, Peter Hamilton, Valda, Laurie, Laurence and myself arrived a little earlier so as to surprise Steve. He looked a little shell-shocked when he entered the restaurant with Rae (o: The meal was delicious. I had a courgette and Stilton soup to start and scallops with salad for main. Double Yum! We then had a cake I bought from Sainsbury's. The waitress (thinking she was efficient) brought out pieces of the cake before we asked for it. We actually had bought candles so we could put them on the whole cake and present it to Steve so he could blow them out etc. Instead we improvised and each got to have a candle on our individual pieces. Why not share the fun around (o: Rae is a great baker and was planning to make a cake. However there was a little mix up with the ingredients and the oven caught on fire! Birthdays can be stressful eh.
The Lums
Today, Saturday, I've been pottering around doing tasks in preparation for the arrival of the Lums this evening. I'm looking forward to it. It's been quite long in the planning and now they are nearly here! Rae and Steve have been great gathering all the necessary kiddie paraphernalia. Their house is going to be full for the next month. Our little flat coped quite well, housing up to six people. So, it's another trip to Heathrow for me...
We headed out to Heathrow last Saturday to meet Joy, Rose and Simon (Joseph's Mum and sis and bro). It's a bit cheesy waiting at the arrivals gate watching all the happy reunions. We felt like we where in the movie 'Love Actually'. Have I turned into a cynic in my old age? Or was it just that we got a bit fatigued conscientiously scanning the crowds of people flowing out from the gate. Whilst waiting I spotted Stephen Fry, presumably also waiting to greet a love one. He is very tall in real life, which is a bit of a switch as celebrities are usually shorter than you expect when you see them in the flesh.
Our patience was rewarded when we spotted Joy, Rose and the considerably taller than I last saw him, Simon (o: We tubed it home and let the weary travellers relax. They had come from LA where they made the necessary pilgrimage to Disneyland and Universal Studios.
Tourist outings
The next day we ventured into town to check out the National Gallery. I particularly enjoyed the East Wing which displays paintings from the 1700 to 1900. Normally I enjoy the Monets and Renoirs the best but on this visit I really enjoyed the Degas paintings especially a striking image of a women getting her hair brushed which was painted in different shades of red. Of course Degas' famous paintings of ballerinas where very good too. The building itself is a work of art. The elaborate ceilings, in some areas, looked like they had been freshly painted with bright golds and other regency colours.
Outside in Trafalgar Square a huge stage and screen had been erected and an orchestra was warming up for an outdoor performance later in the evening. It was a performance of a score written by the Pet Shop Boys to accompany a famous silent movie with a Russian theme. The original score was by Shostakovich. The rehearsal sounded amazing.
We didn't stick around as we had a prior date with Paulette and Reinhold in Hampstead. Their daughter Ellie stayed with Joy and co in Orewa for 6 months and really enjoyed her time there. They treated us with some yummy Riesling from Luxembourg (probably not available in the UK) and some traditional sausage pastries. After a good chat we went into the village to an oriental fusion restaurant called Dim T. Talk about huge portions. I had wide noodles, wok fried with Thai topping/seasoning and tofu. Yum!
Joseph and I had to work the next week so we left the others to their own devices. They visited Greenwich, Buckingham Palace and the Tate Modern...and enjoyed some nice sleep ins. Paul (Joseph's step dad) arrived on Wednesday. That night we went out for a curry. The next day Paul, Joy et al, including Joseph, headed off in the car to Essex and Norwich.
Steve's birthday
Thursday was Steve's birthday. Rae had organised a surprise meal for him with friends at The Black Lion. Pam and Brian, Peter Hamilton, Valda, Laurie, Laurence and myself arrived a little earlier so as to surprise Steve. He looked a little shell-shocked when he entered the restaurant with Rae (o: The meal was delicious. I had a courgette and Stilton soup to start and scallops with salad for main. Double Yum! We then had a cake I bought from Sainsbury's. The waitress (thinking she was efficient) brought out pieces of the cake before we asked for it. We actually had bought candles so we could put them on the whole cake and present it to Steve so he could blow them out etc. Instead we improvised and each got to have a candle on our individual pieces. Why not share the fun around (o: Rae is a great baker and was planning to make a cake. However there was a little mix up with the ingredients and the oven caught on fire! Birthdays can be stressful eh.
The Lums
Today, Saturday, I've been pottering around doing tasks in preparation for the arrival of the Lums this evening. I'm looking forward to it. It's been quite long in the planning and now they are nearly here! Rae and Steve have been great gathering all the necessary kiddie paraphernalia. Their house is going to be full for the next month. Our little flat coped quite well, housing up to six people. So, it's another trip to Heathrow for me...
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